Help with Smoke Tree!

13 years ago

I purchased this tree 3 years ago and it was only a stick about 1 foot tall. It now has grown well over 6 feet so I know it has taken well. I have a few problems though. First I am looking to get it as a tree form. What should I do in regards to pruning it? Do I cut off all leads besides the main one? How much of the leads do I take off? If I am to prun it is February an ok month to do this? No leaves have started to come out on the tree yet. Secondly all it has ever produced is just green leaves and towards the end of the fall they turn brown and fall off, no other colors, no sign of the "smoke effect" should I be fertilizing this tree? If so with what? Any other ideas would be great. Thanks very much!

Comments (3)

honda03v6
Original Author
13 years ago
Bigger Picture

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User
13 years ago
OP,
This is the perfect time to prune it into a tree.
You are one zone outside of it's ideal growing temp, which may account for the brown leaves, but this is what you can do to get the tree you want.
First, dig the grass from around the bottom of the tree, apply a good bag of composted manure from HD or Lowes then mulch well but not up to the bark with 2 inches of shredded pine bark around the tree on top of the composted manure.
Now, pruning, Look at the pic with me as I tell you this.
Do you see that branch coming up from the bottom next to the "main" branch?
THe one going right off to the side?
WIth VERY sharp pruners, cut it off to the base of the trunk.
THen apply Elmers Glue all over the fresh cut to seal it off.
I would leave the next biggest branch up on the tree, it will look fuller and give it a more rounded shape in the future.
Do you see the smaller branch that is growing down off of the branch I said to leave?
CUt that one off.
I know, it's hard to explain.
Let"s just say that for this year's pruning, don't cut any more big branches off, just small stragley ones off of the branches that remain.
Use the elmers glue after each cut to seal it.
It is winter sun now, so it doesn't show me how much sun it receives in the summer. Does it get the afternoon sun in the summer?
It will have a better color and growth with more leaves the more sun it gets.
If it doesn't rain for 10 days in a row and it's hot, water it real good. Remember, you are in a hot zone for this tree.
GOod Luck.
Next year you will prune more, do not prune in any month other than Feb where you live, or you will mess the shape up.
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honda03v6
Original Author
13 years ago
Hi butterfly4u,
Thanks very much for your help. I just want to go over which branches to cut back again. I have added numbers to the branches. Can you verify that you want me to cut branch 1 & 2 all the way to the trunk of the "main" branch? If not maybe the other numbers shown will help. I will get on the manure and mulch this weekend. So any thicker/longer branches that are left after I remove the other 2 I should keep, but remove any small little stragley ones off of those? I have attached another angle of the tree as well. Yes this tree gets full sun from afternoon on that is why I dont understand why I havent gotten any "smoke" effect or different color leaves.
Thanks again!

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